Man who led police on 120mph chase sentenced thanks to organised crime taskforce

A man in a stolen vehicle who led police on a chase through Salford at speeds of over 100 miles per hour - which saw him collide with another car - has been sentenced following an investigation by our taskforce tackling organised crime in the city.

Manchester Crown Square heard how Jacob Rimmer, 21, described his own driving as 'f***ing ridiculous' when questioned by officers following the pursuit between Swinton and Little Hulton in August this year.

Rimmer came to the attention of covert police on the afternoon of Sunday 29 August when he was seen in a white BMW 120 twice aggressively performing U-turns - causing the tyres to screech - on Queensway in the Clifton area of Swinton.

After initially stopping when asked to do so on nearby Whitegrave Drive, Rimmer then refused to exit the vehicle on our request - falsely claiming that he was disabled - before accelerating harshly and speeding away.

Officers from our Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit (TVIU) proceeded to pursue Rimmer for the next six minutes as he went through red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road, hit speeds of 115mph on Bolton Road towards Walkden and collided with a red Vauxhall Corsa on the A6 - just off Ridyard Street - causing it to spin 180 degrees.

The vehicle was damaged and fortunately the occupant was not seriously injured.

Seconds later, Rimmer ran out of the car and was chased by police before he was detained and taken to custody.

A lock knife was found near to Rimmer's arrest and a kitchen knife was found in the driver's door of the car.

Prior to Rimmer's interview, it had been established he had been driving a car on cloned plates after it had been stolen from a property in Leigh four days earlier, and that he was not insured to drive the vehicle.

He denied any knowledge that the BMW was stolen but admitted his driving was 'f***ing ridiculous' and he found the kitchen knife in the driver's door but kept it because it looked 'sick'.

Investigators from GMP Salford's Operation Naseby - formed to tackle a spate of organised crime in the city in late 2019 - charged Rimmer with handling stolen goods, failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and possession of an offensive weapon.

Rimmer, of Greenleach Lane, Worsley, pleaded guilty to all four counts and was today (Wednesday 10 November) sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, a rehabilitation activity requirement, unpaid work, a five month curfew and a two year driving ban.

It is the latest conviction as part of the Operation Naseby 'disruption hub', which has  been responsible for 240 arrests, 245 vehicle seizures, the recovery of over £500k worth of drugs, and has searched over 100 homes linked to individuals involved in crime.

Weapons recovered have included a loaded handgun, a shotgun, two loaded crossbows, a number of machetes and dozens of other knives and bladed articles.

23 people have been recalled to prison, and numerous other offenders have been convicted of a range of drug, driving, and firearms offences, including several targets from the outset of the operation.

Due to a backlog of court cases due to the pandemic, a number of further cases are currently waiting to be heard.

The anti-gang taskforce recently received an extra £95,000 of funding to continue the operation for at least the next six months.

Detective Sergeant Daniel Worthington, of GMP's Salford district, said: "Rimmer's level of driving that day was nothing short of appalling, and the officers involved in the pursuit remarked on how it was by sheer luck or fortune that he didn’t seriously injure or even kill somebody as a result.

"Thankfully, this case is exemplary of how we're able to utilise our TVIU officers to pursue suspects illegally using vehicles in the city; bringing them into custody and stopping them posing a risk to other road users.

"Our ability to catch Rimmer and bring him to justice is yet another demonstration of how we've been able to tackle a whole range of crime as part of Operation Naseby - including the possession of weapons and the use of stolen vehicles, which are often used by serious and organised criminals.

"The results of our work have been evident over the last 18 months and we will not relent in putting more offenders before the courts."